A Gem of a Heart
by Gemkat5
Summary: During an attempt to win Sarah's heart Jareth is reminded of an ancient, forgotten ring with supposed magical properties. Presenting it to Sarah they suspect that it takes away her free will. Does Jareth want Sarah bad enough to make her wear it or...


**A Gem of a Heart**

By: Gemkat5

Genre: Labyrinth

Pairing: Jareth/Sarah

Rating: This one only gets a '**T'**

**Summary**: During an attempt to win Sarah's heart Jareth is reminded of an ancient, forgotten ring with supposed magical properties. Presenting it to Sarah they suspect that it takes away her free will. Does Jareth want Sarah bad enough to make her wear it or will he let her come to him willingly even if he must be patient awhile longer?

**A/N**: This story is in response to a challenge posted at jdbfangirlharem. The following is the posted challenge: Lady Bowie1947 wrote: Hi! I'm new so sorry if I screw this up; I have an idea for a challenge and am curious to see what people come up with: Jareth goes shopping. It can be in a modern world store or in the Underground. Sarah doesn't have to be with him but the item(s) does/do have to be for her. The story must include: the word "engagement" (doesn't have to mean in the wedding sense), a dress, a ring**, **a goat**, **bubblegum**, **lotion**, **goblins**, **a kidnapping**, **and the question"what on earth is that?" not spoken by Jareth or Sarah.

**Disclaimer**: The only thing I claim to own is the insane idea that formed this story. Everything else it borrowed.

**A Gem of a Heart**

Sarah spun on her heels so fast that Jareth didn't have time to stop before slamming bodily into her. Taking a leisurely step back, with a cheshire grin on his face, he apologized in a most sardonic way.

"Oh, I beg your pardon, dear Sarah, I didn't realize I was so close to your…" he cocked his head to one side and pointedly stared at her backside. "…person."

"Jareth," Sarah breathed with exasperation.

"Yes?" he drawled readily with a charming smile and hopeful expression.

"Get lost."

"I can't," he replied as she turned away from him to continue on her way. "I've already told you that it is physically impossible for me to 'get lost'. Why are you so driven to repeat the request?"

"Because drop dead didn't work!" she tossed over her shoulder just as she veered off the tiled main aisle to zigzag through a copse of clothing racks.

"Yes, well…" Jareth sighed with patient exasperation as he gracefully made his way between circular, over-stuffed clothes racks with 'sale' items, in an attempt to follow her lead. "…that's not a successful… request… either… now is it?" he asked rhetorically with distraction.

He hadn't expected an answer so he wasn't disappointed when he didn't get one. He was disappointed, however, when he took in hand a most favorable piece of clothing that had caught his eye and turned in Sarah's general direction to show it to her, only for her to be nowhere in sight. "That woman needs a bell around her neck," he grumbled sourly as he motioned to place the dress back in its place.

"Want some advice?" a feminine voice questioned from just behind his back.

Jareth side-stepped as he turned to give the speaker his attention, still holding the dress which now draped over his torso down to his thighs. The woman smiled endearingly at the sight.

"One, I don't think that color suites you," she chuckled light heartedly. "And two, I don't think it would suit your lady friend, either." She boldly stepped forward and reached past Jareth to grab something from the rack behind him. Smiling with her prize in hand she held it up for his perusal. "This, not only is closer to her size, but it would also compliment her dark hair and fair complexion."

"You think that, do you?" Jareth quipped, swapping the dresses with the woman to inspect the stranger's choice more closely. "Hmm, I'm rather fond of the other one, actually. It has more… sparkle in it."

Again, the woman chuckled. "Honey, if you want her to sparkle, put it on her finger not in her clothes."

Jareth's head snapped to attention at the woman's forward words, only for his surprised expression to be met with solid confidence. "I overheard some of your conversation just before she gave you the slip," the woman admitted slyly. "And, judging by what I heard I'd say you've been after her for some time now, am I right?"

Jareth's expression was both noncommittal and telling at the same time. "That's what I thought," the woman continued knowingly. "Well, honey, you must be doing something right or she would've called for security by now. So, let's take a gander as to what you're doing wrong."

"I'm never wrong," Jareth stated arrogantly, his chin even and back straight as he peered down his nose at the woman before him.

"Of course you're not," she amended diplomatically. "Now let's see what we can do to convince her of that, shall we?"

Jareth wasn't certain he liked this woman. She was shrewd and cunning, two things he could spot in a mortal without blinking. But, she was right about one thing, he needed to figure out how to make Sarah see things his way. "I'm listening."

"You'll need a pair of shoes, stockings, and a purse to go with that dress," the woman dictated. "Once you have all those things, come back here to the woman's fitting room," she pointed over her shoulder to show the fitting room behind her. "And then I'll give you some more advice from there, for a fee of course."

"Actually," Jareth breathed in a bored manner. "I've got a better idea," he stated, taking both dresses in hand to discard them atop the clothing rack in a wrinkled heap.

"And, what would that be?" the woman asked with a cocky smile, folding her arms over her ample bosom. She fully expected him to offer to pay her to do the shopping for him, just like all the other men she'd suckered into this little scheme of hers.

"You'll simply go back with me." His eyes shone with mischief as did the smile that graced his lips.

"Go back, where?" she asked blinkingly, mentally denying that he was suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. Not that she would mind, he was a very handsome man. However, she wasn't exactly a spring chicken to be propositioned in such a manner.

"To my kingdom, of course," Jareth replied with his shrewdest of smiles, which only broadened at the surprised, shocked expression on the woman's face as his natural features showed themselves through the magical illusion he used whenever in this realm.

"You're… you're…"

"The Goblin King," he answered with a sinister smile and bent closer to the woman's fear stricken face. "You might want to close your eyes," he whispered, grabbing the edge of his cloak to sweep it dramatically around them both as they vanished into thin air.

"Jareth!" Sarah called in a stage whisper for the fifth time as she retraced her steps through the throng of clothing racks. Turning the corner near the woman's fitting room she stopped short. There was a hint of glitter in the air and all over the floor in the exact spot where she last recalled seeing him. With a deep sigh she sagged her shoulders and dropped her hands to her sides. "The one time I want your opinion and you leave," she murmured with disappointment, shoving the two blouses in her hands onto the nearest rack. "Oh, this is pretty," she admired distractedly, taking in hand a piece of clothing that had been dumped carelessly on the top of the rack. Sarah smiled pleasingly as the dress unfolded smooth as silk to hang seductively before her eyes. "My size, too," she voiced at reading the imprint on the back of the material. She then put it up against her front as she peered at herself in a nearby mirror. "And, it's sparkly, I like it."

X x X x X x

"What on earth is that?" the woman cried out after shoving herself away from Jareth. Pointing outwardly all around her, she staggered backwards in fear only to feel something behind her. She spun around with another fearful gasp escaping her mouth. Her knees felt like jello, and her heart drummed painfully in her chest. This wasn't Kansas, Dorothy, and it sure as hell wasn't Macy's, either!

"It's a goat," Jareth replied, frowning at the woman as though she were addled minded.

"Not that," the woman shouted in a panic, pointing directly at some hideous little creature that was sneering up at her. "THAT!"

"Oh that," Jareth replied off handedly as he walked away from the woman. "That, is a goblin. Now, come-come, I have an engagement this evening and there is no time to waste."

"A… a goblin," the woman repeated hesitantly, side-stepping around the thing to follow the man, King, goblin… oh, my... definitely not in Macy's anymore. "Uhm, you know, on second thought," she stated choppily, rushing towards the throne where Jareth had seated himself sideways. "I think everything I told you is wrong. I have no idea what the lady you were following would or would not like, so…"

"So, you will aid me in figuring it out."

"I will?" she asked, swallowing down the lump in her throat.

"Of course," he smiled at her, but there was nothing pleasant about that smile. "You mentioned putting the sparkle on her finger, and not in her clothes," he reiterated, extending his hand into the air with a flick of his wrist, and suddenly there was a small, square, ornate jewelry box nestled within his fingertips. "I happen to agree with you," he stated, turning his attention from the square box towards the woman only to frown.

The woman's fear stricken expression lessened somewhat when she realized that he wasn't even looking at her, but at something just off to her side. Turning her head she glanced down and behind herself.

"Lady want some gum?" a goblin asked, which actually sounded more like, 'Daydee whoos soo goom!' considering the little creature had his mouth overstuffed with bubblegum.

She screamed. She screamed loud and long, and then promptly passed out cold onto the hard, stone floor.

"Well, that didn't go very well, now did it?" Jareth mused aloud then shrugged indifferently as he put his attention back to the small box he held at eye level. "I wonder if something so small could have the biggest outcome." He swung his legs to the front and rose to his feet. "Which one of you took Sarah's ring from the bird-head man?" Jareth questioned his hoard in a loud demanding voice.

The room fell silent as every creature stopped to simply stare at their King. Not even a chicken clucked to break the silence. "Oh, come-come," he addressed impatiently. "I don't want the silly thing; I only need to know which one of you has it!"

A small commotion in the far corner broke the stillness in the room. Jareth stepped from his throne confident he had found the culprit in question. "You there! Come over here!" he addressed one of the larger goblins, who was being shoved and poked by the others around him.

The droopy faced, long horned goblin froze in his spot, trembling in fear as the king approached. The other goblins wisely got out the way, amusing themselves with the unconscious woman on the floor.

"Well, where is it?" Jareth asked the singled out goblin. The creature threw his arm high in the air to show his King the bauble ring on his middle finger. "Ah, very nice indeed," Jareth cooed soothingly, and removed the ring from the goblin's hand. Slipping it over his own pinky finger he frowned when it slipped right off. Trying it on his next finger he frowned again when it wouldn't stay on. "What have you done to it?" Jareth questioned the goblin airily. "Surely you didn't stretch it '_that'_ much?" The goblin frantically shook his head no, as the rest of his body trembled uncontrollably. "Well, then, there's only one thing left to do. I need to make sure this fits perfectly upon her finger before presenting it to her," Jareth explained opening the small, ornate box to remove the ring from within.

Dropping to his knees Jareth took hold of the goblin's hand and shoved the ring on his middle finger. The entire hoard simultaneously sighed in awe at the bright sparkly gem centered within a script-style G. The gem itself was said to be the last of those mined from within the labyrinth itself. Though modest in size, it could outshine any gem it was held up against. It was also said to have some magical properties, though no one has ever confirmed that rumor, and so it had long been dismissed as myth.

"Well, it seems to fit snug enough," Jareth remarked, and grabbed at the band to remove it from the goblin's finger. However, it wouldn't budge. "Come-come, give it back!"

"It's not my fault!" the goblin cried, terrified.

Jareth tugged and pulled on the ring, cracking the poor goblin's knuckle at least twice in his efforts to remove it. The goblin began hopping around making ouch-ouch sounds as the king braced his heeled boot on its chest and pulled the ring with all his might. To no avail, the ring stayed firmly in place.

"All of you," Jareth addressed his hoard. "Come hold him still, I'll rip his hand off if I must!" The hoard surrounded their comrade with sympathetic gazes as the king tried everything to get his ring back, including magic. "Well, it seems it's definitely magical!" Jareth grunted in frustration.

"Jareth, the King of Goblins!" Sarah's voice suddenly echoed throughout the throne room.

"Oh, great, '_now'_ she decides to pay a visit." Jareth rose to his feet as he turned around to find Sarah already standing before him. "Well, I see you've finally remembered how to return yourself to my kingdom," he stated in an effort to hide his chagrin and surprise.

"What the hell have you done this time?" she demanded to know. Her face was flushed and her eyes were aflame with anger.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're…"

Sarah heard the sound of a soft moan coming from the other side of the stone, circular pit and went to investigate. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed at seeing the woman coming to and squatted next to her. "Jareth, do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I'm certain you'll tell me, either way."

"This is no joke, Jareth!" Sarah shouted angrily, rising to her feet to face in his direction. "You've kidnapped a Macy's clerk! They are looking for you! They're looking for me because I was last seen with you!"

"Oh, come-come, Sarah. The security tapes will erase all footage of my existence once I return her, unharmed by the way. She merely fainted when one of my goblins spoke to her."

"No," Sarah started to explain, leaving the bewildered woman on the floor to approach the king. "You don't understand. Things are changing in my world, Jareth. There are no security tapes anymore. It's all digital now, and you're face is all over the internet in every police station and security office world-wide. And I'm… what's that?" she asked suddenly with distraction.

"What's…?" Jareth half turned around to see what she was referring to only to see his ring bearing goblin cradling his hand against his chest, the ring shone be dazzlingly. "Oh, that. It's merely something he found on the ground."

"It's beautiful," Sarah remarked mesmerized as she drew closer. Drawing upon the goblin she reached out and gently took hold of his wounded hand to inspect the ring closer.

Jareth couldn't even pretend to not be stunned by her behavior. Never in all her years had Sarah been so completely distracted from her line of thought, not even when she was influenced by his cursed peach had she been so utterly misled.

"Can I see this?" she asked the goblin, though she didn't take her eyes off the sparkling gem.

"If you can remove that thing from his finger," Jareth stated from behind her. "It's yours to keep, forever."

"Why, what's the matter with it?" she asked with mediocre wariness, turning to face Jareth with her question.

Jareth pulled back slightly on his heel to really look at her. "You've done something different with yourself," he remarked, his features contemplative as he studied her.

Sarah smiled shyly as she dropped her gaze, licked her lips, and tucked a length of hair behind an ear. "I found this amazing dress at the store today," she answered, smoothing the material over shapely hips, then grimaced. "And you left me there!" She harmlessly slapped at his shoulder in reprimand. "Of all the times you've followed me around and annoyed me to no end, you picked the one time that I actually needed you to just give up and leave!"

"Really?" he countered. "Is that what I've done, gave up and left?"

"Yes!" she spat at him angrily, and then turned her attention back to the long faced goblin. "But, I want to see this ring, first," she added in a soft, distracted tone. "I'll finish yelling at you later."

"Then, by all means, take it," Jareth replied, gesturing for her to help herself.

"But, ring won't come off!" the goblin stated fearfully. The only thing the king hadn't tried was to actually cut off his hand for it, and the poor little goblin was terrified that that would be the next idea on the list.

Well, we'll just see about that," Sarah replied with a cunning smile as she pulled her purse from her side. Blindly digging within the interior of her purse she licked and nibbled upon her lips, a frown of determination firmly creased her brow.

"That dress looks wonderful on you, by the way," Jareth complimented smoothly, taking the opportunity to get a few points in before she raked him across the hot coals.

"Do you honestly think so?" she asked, pausing in her search to look at him directly.

"Yes. As a matter of fact I had chosen that very piece of clothing for you to try on, but you were too busy avoiding me."

"That part is true," a feminine voice sounded from across the room. Everyone turned to see the woman idly sitting upon the small circle of stones that Jareth used as a playpen for the babes. "I can bear witness to him wanting to get that dress for you."

"Well, maybe your taste in clothes isn't as flamboyant as I thought," Sarah stated with a hint of coyness. "I like how it shimmers in the right lighting," she added quietly, as though she were sharing a secret.

"Me too," he whispered just as quietly with a warm smile gracing his lips.

"I found it!" Sarah exclaimed suddenly and pulled a small bottle of hand lotion from the depths of her purse. Dropping her bag back to her side by its strap, she turned the little bottle upside down and smacked it against her palm before opening it to squeeze some out. Handing Jareth the bottle, she took the goblin's wounded hand and generously smeared the lotion on and around his middle finger and the ring.

"I'll let you sleep in my bed unhindered if that works," Jareth bet aloud.

Sarah turned her head to gaze back at him from over her shoulder with a sly grin. "You're on, Goblin King."

"Of course, you'll sleep in my bed if it doesn't work," he added before she could look away. His eyes challenged her to back down before it was too late, but all she did was grin even more.

Turning her attention back to her task she used four of her fingertips to grab at the sides of the band on the ring and gently pulled. It didn't budge at first, but after Sarah twisted the ring in place, and got some lotion underneath the band, it slipped right off the goblin's finger to land delicately in the palm of Sarah's hand.

"Well, looks like somebody's not getting laid tonight," the Macy's clerk snickered from across the room. "It's nice to see how you're never wrong," she added, chuckling mildly to herself.

"I'm sorry, who the hell are you?" Sarah asked agitated, focusing solely on the other woman. "I bet you tried to persuade him to buy me that putrid green dress that was lying with this one on the rack, weren't you? Did you also tell him I needed shoes and a purse to match?" she asked irritated, not giving the woman a chance to answer the first question.

"And stockings," Jareth added, instigating Sarah's ire. It was a rare treat to see her angry with someone other than himself and he intended to fully enjoy this confrontation.

The woman defensively rose to her feet as Sarah stepped forward to close the distance between them, clutching the rare jeweled ring in her hand as she did so. As soon as her fist closed around it Sarah felt a wave of light-headedness. She swayed slightly before stopping in her tracks.

Jareth had a hand at her elbow instantly. "Sarah, what is it?"

She took a few ragged breaths as the light-headedness subsided and then slowly lifted her gaze to meet Jareth's. "You were going to do it, too," she accused in a monotone voice. "You almost fell for her scam in your desperation to do something nice for me."

"I've never known a woman who didn't like a new dress and shoes to match," he stated in his own defense, bestowing her with a brilliant smile.

Before he realized her intentions her body was pressed seductively against his, her arms wantonly thrown around his neck with her fingers in his hair and her lips pressed arousingly upon his. He reacted instinctually, returning her kiss while his hands held her to him by her hips.

Their lips became fused together; their tongues explored the moist recesses within their mouths. Sarah lifted a leg to wrap it around his backside, using her knee to pull him closer, tighter, against her body. Jareth took hold of her leg and let his hand slide along her bare thigh, up under her new dress, and grabbed her shapely ass cheek. The realization that she wore no under garments was so fleeting that he forgot the thought as fast as it had come to him.

Sarah pulled back only to turn her head to the other side and capture his mouth with savage passion. Her hands buried deeper in the thick mane of his hair as the ring slipped from her hand to fall upon the stone floor with a resounding chime. She froze instantly, her entire body went rigid, giving Jareth enough warning that something had gone terribly wrong and instantly stilled his roaming hands.

Breaking their kiss Sarah shoved herself back away from him, a mortified expression consumed her features as she wiped at her mouth and fixed her dress. "I can't believe I fell for that," she stated accusingly, still breathless from their brief interaction. "I can't believe that I trusted you, for one small minute, I '_trusted'_ you, Jareth!"

"And why wouldn't you?" Jareth defended, confused at her sudden change in behavior. "I haven't done anything wrong! In fact," he pointed out decisively. "_You_ were the one who came at me. Your hands were in my hair before I had time to react to your tongue in my mouth!"

"Don't you '_dare'_ blame me for this! It's '_your'_ ring! You knew it would confuse me, just like that peach you fed me when I was fifteen!"

"I won't apologize for something I haven't done," he declared regally.

"You don't apologize for any damn thing, so why should this be any different?" she flung back at him heatedly.

"If I can say something here," the woman from Macy's interjected, drawing both their attention. "I might not know where the hell I'm at, or what half of those creatures are, but I know one thing for certain," she leveled her gaze specifically on Sarah. "You've wanted him, whatever he is, for a very long time." Knowing that she had their undivided attention she continued. "Obviously this place is full of weird things and magic and god only knows what else. That ring got your attention from all the way over there," she stressed, pointing behind her as emphasis. "Now I know I didn't stand up until you were all huddle together, but I still can't see that ring clearly from where I stand. So wouldn't it be possible that the ring did something to you, and not him?"

"I think you need to shut up and mind your own business," Sarah stated threateningly, rounding on the woman.

"I think she has a point," Jareth countered, moving to search the floor for the object in question, then pick it up once he found it.

"Of course you would agree with her, she's defending your evilness and has no idea what you're capable of,"

Jareth held the ring up at eye level to study it with an intense gaze. "I have no idea how old this ring is, Sarah. It's sure as hell older than I am." He shifted his gaze from the gem to meet Sarah's eyes. "I've never even laid eyes upon it before today."

"Jareth," Sarah breathed, her pallor paled slightly. "Put it away, please."

He noticed how her eyes were suddenly riveted on the thing and swayed it in the air back and forth within her line of sight. Her eyes followed it hypnotically while her face became suddenly flushed. With a swift, fluid movement the ring was safely hidden within his closed palm.

"Thank you," Sarah breathed easier, blinking repeatedly a few times as she collected herself. "Make her go away before we discuss anything else," she requested firmly, seating herself on a barrel nearby. "I promise not to leave until we've sorted this out."

"That's a fairly broad promise, don't you think?" he questioned warily. Sarah was usually more careful with her words than that. "What if we never get this sorted out, will you stay forever?"

"Just take her home, Jareth," Sarah dictated curtly. "And try to remove us from the most wanted list while you're at it."

Jareth smiled broadly as he stepped closer to her. Placing the tip of his forefinger under her chin he raised her face to smile down at her arrogantly. "One day you will come to realize that magic will always trump technology. Have no fear, Sarah, the world will go back to being oblivious to my existence before I return." Within the blink of an eye Jareth magically produced a crystal and threw it at the Macy clerk's feet. Both Jareth and the woman were gone when the glitter cleared the air.

Sarah turned her attention towards the long faced goblin with the horns, noticing that he cradled his one hand with the other. "What happened to you?" she asked with mild curiosity.

"King broke it trying to get ring back."

Dawning came to Sarah as she swiveled herself atop the barrel. "That's right, you were wearing it when I got here." She paused thoughtfully for a second before asking. "Why were you wearing it? Were you the guardian of it or something?"

"Nah," the goblin replied with a solemn shake of his head. "I have same finger as Sarah," he added, showing her his wounded, now swollen, finger and hand. Sarah frowned with confusion at not understanding what he meant until the goblin elaborated. "Ring didn't fit King's fingers. It kept falling off. Now I have broke hand."

Sarah was still a little hazy for details but she got the general gist of what had happened. "The king had you try on the ring to make sure it would fit me?" she inquired. "But, why would he pick you in the first place?"

"Because he had this!" another goblin stated, showing Sarah the bauble ring she had worn during her first visit. The ring she had given to the wiseman with the bird on his head for giving her advice.

Suddenly things were making more sense. "So he thought you'd have the same ring size," she mused more so to herself as she took the bauble ring from the other goblin. "Well, I'm sorry you got hurt because of me," she told the long faced goblin sympathetically, then after a moment, she asked, "Did you feel anything while you wore the King's ring?"

"Yes, pain!" the goblin answered honestly. "But it okay. I heal fast. This be good as new in couple of days." The long faced goblin made an attempt to smile and wave his hand before grimacing in pain and cradling it against his chest again. "Me lucky you came along, King tried everything to get ring back," he shook his head solemnly. "But nothing worked. I thought hand was goner for sure." He looked up at her sincerely. "That don't grow back, you know."

"I doubt Jareth would cut off your hand just to…" Sarah stopped herself short from saying another word. If the ring meant that much to him, and it wouldn't come off by any other means, then… "You said he tried everything?" The goblin nodded. "Even magic? No, don't answer that, of course he tried using magic."

Sarah slid off the barrel to pace while she thought things through. 'So, if the goblin wore he ring and he didn't fell anything, and Jareth was unaffected by it, then that means it singled me out. Maybe that woman was right, maybe it magically enhanced me to take what I've wanted for so many years.' She nibbled at her bottom lip fretfully. She never wanted to admit that the Goblin King had won her affection with his diligence, his patience… she chuckled softly to herself… his crazy antics that made her laugh and warmed her heart. But it somehow seemed as though she was giving up if she gave in to him. At least that's how Sarah felt about it.

"But, what if he thinks he doesn't have to impress me anymore?" she asked a nearby goblin.

"Huh?"

"What if he stops doing all those things that I've come to love about him?" she asked another goblin who happened to glance at her as he went by.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the goblin muttered as he continued on his way.

"If I say yes," she mused softly to herself. "Then its game over. He would lose interest. There would be no more thrills, no more fun, no more laughter. He would stop showering me with gifts for no reason and I'd be..."

"My everything," Jareth injected from behind her. "Do you honestly think that I would stop trying to please you if you chose to accept me?"

Sarah spun around with a gasp of surprise, blushing down to the roots of her hair at him hearing any of her personally musings. Though it was her fault for musing aloud, she still thought she would've sensed when he returned. "I was just talking to myself, it doesn't mean anything."

"Would you like to put this on and repeat those words?" Jareth asked, holding the keepsake ring in the air with two fingertips. He smiled wanly at her reluctance and lowered his hand to his side. "I figured out what happened, Sarah."

"I think I did, too," she admitted with reluctance. "The ring is meant for your queen, isn't it?" she asked, though nodded her head as though he had answered her. "But, you never had a queen, you said so yourself that you never had reason to even look at that ring. So when you looked upon it, touched it for the first time, you were most likely thinking of me."

"Very good," Jareth smiled, pleased at her figuring it out on her own. "And, have you figured out why you felt suddenly amorous towards me?"

Sarah turned away from him to hide her face. "Yeah," she whispered, barely audibly. "When I clenched the ring in my hand it channeled the burning desire and longing that I've been harboring towards you and stripped all my inhibitions that always held me back from what I really wanted."

"Really?" he questioned, sounding more than surprised. "I hadn't thought of that." Sarah half turned to look back at him curiously. "Though I like your explanation far better than what I came up with."

"Why, what did you come up with?"

"That the ring, knowing that I have chosen you for myself, was forcing you to accept me in order to be my queen." He closed the space between them as he casually crossed the room. "Marital unions were rarely about the heart in the history of both our worlds, if you'll recall. They were about power, prestige, and possession. It would only make sense that the marital ring of a magic bearer would possess a spell to make a bride more accepting of her king in order to produce an heir."

"You're right," Sarah whispered, looking up at him as he came to stop a hair's width from her. "As much as I hate to admit it, I like my reasoning better."

"Well, now that we got that out of the way." He held the rare ring between them, letting it display it's be dazzling radiance. "How would you like to try this on for size?"

Sarah felt the hypnotic pull from the gem as she stared at it, and wondered if Jareth's theory wasn't the more accurate one of the two. "Will you keep your word and leave me sleep unhindered in your bed, with or without that ring on my finger?"

"I intend on keeping my word, yes. But, I will not be accountable for my actions if you throw yourself at me like you did earlier."

Pressing herself against him she placed her arms around his neck and snaked her hands into his hair. "Then, how about you put that ring back where you found it," she suggested seductively. "And we can find out what happens when a king has a rare heart who wants him more than she's willing to admit?"

"Really?" he questioned sincerely, pulling his head back slightly in order to look at her fully in the face.

"Yes, really," she smiled up at him promisingly, pressing herself tighter against him.

He magically took her to his bed, leaving nothing but a shower of glitter in their wake, the keepsake ring with the rare mystical gem was placed back in its ornate box, never to be seen again by Sarah or Jareth.

The End


End file.
